When things start to pile up, it may be difficult to keep up. Lots of things to get done often means lots of keeping track of deadlines and requirements. It can be dangerously easy to let a goal-related task slip through the cracks.
You cannot afford to miss a deadline. Many other people may be relying on you to produce high-quality work in a short amount of time. How can you make sure that you get the things done that are most important? How can you set yourself up for success so that you can reach the full potential of your productivity?
The best way to ensure that the important tasks on your list get completed, is to develop a ranking system that prioritizes each individual task. Organizing your tasks by a few factors can ensure that you know exactly which task to complete when you need to get them done. So, what’s the best way to organize these tasks?
Organizing by Deadline
When setting goals, it is important to use an efficient system of organization so that you can ensure your goals are met. The most effective way, and probably the way that makes the most sense, to prioritize your tasks if you have many of them is by their deadline.
If a task does not have a set deadline, it may be a good idea to assign it one so that you can ensure you are getting things done. This will allow you to focus on the more urgent things first. Knocking out the tasks with the closest deadlines means that you will not fail to deliver when things need to be done.
Color Code Your Tasks
A color-coordinated system may be the best way to do this if you are a visual person. Organize your goals and their tasks in a way that works best for you whether you prefer to do this electronically on a program like Google Calendar, in your to-do list with markers, or on a task board with colored post-it notes.
Tasks that are most urgent can be labeled in red. This will alert your brain that they are urgent and need immediate attention. If a task is due soon but not immediately, yellow is a good indicator that will grab your attention briefly so that you know to be aware of it. If you have a good amount of time before a task needs to get done, labeling it in green will let you know that you still have some time before you have to worry.
If you have tasks that need to get done, but are not on any specific timeline, labeling them in blue will tell you that you can get to them when you have the time. This system should be updated frequently to ensure that as tasks become more urgent, they get moved up to the next tier of importance. This system is dependent on being up-to-date. If your organizational systems slip, you may be at risk of missing a deadline.
Progress Toward Completion
This method will allow you to prioritize the tasks that make up your greater goals. Goal-setting can be overwhelming because the end goal often feels unobtainable. This system of organization will have you completing your goal-related task quickly and efficiently. Organizing your tasks will allow you to be more productive so you can see progress from all of your hard work.